From Glacier Point 1927

Ansel Adams made this photograph of Yosemite, sometime in the mid-20th century. His use of black and white is like a painter choosing a limited palette, forcing us to see the world in tones and textures. It's all about process, really. How do you capture something as immense as a mountain with just light and shadow? Look at the way the light falls on Half Dome. It's not just a flat surface, but a complex landscape of crevices and peaks, each rendered with subtle variations in tone. You can almost feel the coldness of the snow, the roughness of the rock. The way the tree in the foreground frames the scene is like a painter positioning elements in a composition, guiding your eye through the landscape. It's all about creating a sense of depth, of space. Adams reminds me a bit of Georgia O'Keefe; they both found ways of rendering the sublime in simple terms, with a keen eye for form and light. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfect representation, but about capturing a feeling, a mood, a way of seeing the world.